Publications

19 Nov 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Management and the Financial Crisis (We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us …)

Keywords: by William A. Sahlman

Research Summary

Overview

By: Brian L. Trelstad

The focus of my research is on the systems of social innovation. How small groups of individuals come up with new products and services targeting important problems; how they finance these initial efforts, and convert prototypes into viable organizational strategies;... View Details

13 Sep 2019
Blog Post

An Uncommon Summer: Project Management at an Education Non-Profit

stored, used, and collaborated on information in eight digital systems and their knowledge management practice was, in their words, “a nightmare.” The team’s leadership acknowledged these problems but didn’t... View Details

July 2021 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Trouble at Basecamp: Managing Politics, Polarization, and Conflict in the Workplace (A)

By: Nour Kteily, Deepak Malhotra and David Lane

As founders of the software company Basecamp, Jason Fried and David H. Hansson were used to being the subjects of social media attention. Both maintained active and dedicated Twitter followings for their unique perspectives on management and life. But on April 26,... View Details

29 Jul 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Learning from the Kursk Submarine Rescue Failure: The Case for Pluralistic Risk Management

Keywords: by Anette Mikes & Amram Migdal

Web

Managing and Innovating in Financial Services - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog Managing and Innovating in Financial Services Course Number 1509 Professor David Scharfstein Spring; Q3Q4; 3.0 credits 27 Sessions Exam Course Content Financial services firms play a critically important role in the... View Details

January 2010 (Revised August 2010)
Background Note

Advanced Leadership Note: An Institutional Perspective and Framework for Managing and Leading

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Rakesh Khurana

Large-scale societal issues increasingly appear on the agenda of business leaders, including poverty, health, education, business-government relations, and the degradation of the environment. These problems are not entirely new, but the forces of globalization and the... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Framework; Global Range; Leadership; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Social Enterprise; Social Issues; Complexity

Fast Answer

Managing & Investing in a Fast-Growing Emerging Market: India

Library and related resources for Managing & Investing in a Fast-Growing Emerging Market: India View Details

March 2006 (Revised September 2006)
Case

Slots, Tables, and All That Jazz: Managing Customer Profitability at the MGM Grand Hotel

By: Dennis Campbell, Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez, Marc Epstein and Joshua Bellin

The MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas had detailed information on loyal gaming customers, but could its information systems also be tailored to nongaming customers? As the nongaming business sectors became increasingly profitable both at the MGM Grand and in Las Vegas... View Details

Keywords: Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Accommodations Industry; Nevada

October 2016 (Revised February 2019)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 5: Building a Profit Plan

By: Robert Simons

This module reading describes how to build a profit plan to reflect the strategy of a business in economic terms. After introducing the profit wheel, cash wheel, and ROE wheel, the module illustrates how to use a profit plan to assess the viability of different... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Execution; Profit Planning; Cash Flow Analysis; Asset Utilization; Return On Equity; Business Planning; Testing Strategy; Analyzing Strategic Alternative; Strategy; Asset Management; Cash Flow; Investment Return; Management Systems; Profit

January 2007 (Revised December 2007)
Case

Digital China Holdings Limited: Managing the Transition from a Product-oriented to a Service-oriented Company

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Guoqing Chen, Kai Reimers and Xunhua Guo

Digital China is the largest Chinese independent systems integrator (IBM and HP are larger). Describes their history and their current strategy and invites the student to advise them as to how they should continue to grow in the future. This is the closest China... View Details

Keywords: History; Information Technology; Service Operations; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; China

February 2025
Tutorial

Preparing Business Leaders for an Era of Climate Instability: Understanding and Managing Physical Climate Risk

By: Michael W. Toffel and Spencer Glendon

In this compelling video, Spencer Glendon, founder of Probable Futures and Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, describes the profound implications of climate change for businesses, the economy, and societies around the world. Drawing from his background in... View Details

Keywords: Modeling; Climate Change; Adaptation; Risk and Uncertainty; Risk Management; Forecasting and Prediction

September 2024
Case

XYZ Robotics

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Brian Mao Fu, Shu Lin and Jamie Gong

Founded in 2018, XYZ Robotics was a China-based startup specializing in robotic picking solutions and 3D machine vision products. Amid an economic downturn and intense competition, the company faced considerable financial challenges and needed to determine the best way... View Details

Keywords: Robotics; 3D Systems; China; Resource Allocation; Business Startups; Competition; Product; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Technology Industry; China

March 2004 (Revised July 2004)
Case

UCB: Managing Information for Globalization and Innovation (A) (Abridged)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Brian DeLacey

A medium-size European manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and chemicals faces a number of information strategy issues. The case focuses on the issues of coordinating international IT activities and day-to-day operations as well as balancing the company's IT applications... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Information Technology; Operations; System; Corporate Strategy; Investment Portfolio; Globalization; Pharmaceutical Industry; Information Technology Industry; Brussels

27 Jun 2019
Blog Post

My Week at Harvard Business School's Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP)

I am incredibly grateful to have spent this past week at Harvard Business School's Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP) aimed at introducing rising seniors to Harvard's MBA and, in all, exposing us to the impact of strong... View Details

June 2017 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Organizing for Performance: Four Vignettes

By: Robert Simons

This case provides four examples of organizations with very different business strategies: Walmart, Starbucks, Harvard Business School, and Google. To support their varying strategies, each of these organizations requires a specific configuration to provide the most... View Details

Keywords: Strategy And Execution; Management Control Systems; Organization; Span Of Control; Job Design; Resource Allocation; Organizational Design; Competitive Strategy; Value Creation

24 Jan 2023
Blog Post

Dispelling Myths About HBS Through My Summer Venture in Management Program Experience

Madeleine Diagne is an International Business student at the University of Houston – Downtown, and a Summer Venture in Management (SVMP) 2022 alum. Graduating high school during the height of the pandemic was yet another obstacle... View Details

September 2019
Teaching Note

Western Governors University: 10x Vision

By: William R. Kerr and Coelin P. Scibetta

Teaching Note for HBS No. 819-093. View Details

Keywords: Education Systems; Online Learning; Higher Education; Internet and the Web; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Education Industry; United States